Mind Matters: Keeping the terrorists out of our bodies

Is the stress about your to-do list keeping you up at night? FLORIDA TODAY columnist Lillian McDermott is back in the studio to offer tips on how to process your thoughts to get the rest you need. Video by Luann Manderville. Posted 3/8/2018.
Luann Manderville

Every now and again its good to take time for yourself and remember what is important in life.(Photo: anyaberkut, Getty Images/iStockphoto)

On Saturday morning, I realized that my next article was due… My body was telling me to make time to see the sunrise, but my sense of responsibility was telling me that I needed to work.

What do you do when your body speaks to you? Do you listen?

I decided that I had been neglecting my marketing company after a busy week of traveling, meetings, marketing calls and follow up… In addition, The Lillian McDermott Radio Show requires daily research, interviews and deadlines. Add the fact that I am also a wife, mom, sister, grandmother, friend and someone who just sold a condo in Orlando! My body was screaming, “Warning, Warning!”

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Lillian McDermott(Photo: FLORIDA TODAY FILE)

The night before, my brain woke me up at 2:30 a.m. to work on my weekly blog. My body started increasing the volume of its screaming.

Every ounce of me wanted to get everything on my “to do” list completed. As I stopped long enough to pay attention, I noticed my shallow breathing, a stomach ache and exhaustion.

So, I gave in to my body after three hours of working and I went back to bed. …Then I started thinking about the sunrise. It was at that time that my body yelled, “I WILL WAKE YOU UP WHEN YOU GET SOME REST!

I woke up at 8 a.m. and began to prepare my smoothie and breakfast. Although I was going through the motions of preparing my smoothie, my brain started counting all the deadlines for the day. Again, my breathing changed, and I noticed the shallow breathing from my chest and not from my diaphragm. The thought of “I need to get my list done” was overridden as my body lovingly said, “It is OK to go to the beach, replenish, recharge and restore.”

After a great walk on the beach, I sat on my beach chair, took out my computer notebook, and my office became the greatest place EVER!

How many times do we ignore our bodies? Our bodies love us but how do we love our bodies back?

If we were given the keys to the holiest temple or to the Taj Mahal, would we allow terrorists in? Not intentionally.

Our body is precious, loyal, and efficient… It will take us from infancy until our final breath.

We do hold the keys to our “temple,” our body, but why are we constantly allowing “terrorists” in?

Sometimes we don’t know the face of the enemy until it's too late. How can we learn to prevent the problem in the first place?

It is time to take out our “Soul Shovel… and dig, dig, dig, until there is only truth!”

Unfortunately, we’re not born with an “owner’s manual.” If we had one it would detail that there is enough evidence-based medical research to support that a whole food, plant-based lifestyle will keep our bodies running smoothly.

Somewhere along the way we have been convinced by most doctors and the pharmaceutical industry to take a pill to alleviate pain, correct digestive issues, reverse heart disease, high cholesterol and diabetes.

There is no pill that can do what a whole food plant-based diet can do. (ok, ok… I will stop. But please research this truth on PubMed.gov and you can also listen to my radio show.)

Our bodies have the capacity to heal when given what they need. We would never add sand to our car’s gas tank and expect it to run. Why? (Because we research the owner’s manual!)

By taking a “Soul Shovel” assessment, you can hear your body speaking to you. So, what is it saying? (“SS” = Assess with no judgement, Blame, Fault… Just Love!)

Listen to your body, it speaks through SYMPTOMS: Signs Your Mind Points To, On Many Stages. Here are a few examples. I am sure you can dig even deeper.

SYMPTOM: Headache… SS: How much water have I had today? Have I eaten? What did I eat? Did I get enough sleep? What is causing stress? Before taking a pill, please consider: Meditation, hydration, nutrition, supplements.

SYMPTOMS: Diabetes (or any disease)… SS: How much soda, sugar, fat, processed and fast foods do I consume? Am I keeping animal products to less than 15 percent? Am I giving my body the nutrients it needs?

SYMPTOMS: Stress, anxiety and depression… SS: How’s my time management? Are my thoughts positive? Have I eaten nutritious foods? Have I consumed enough water? Do I need to reconnect with nature, self or a higher power? Have I forgiven myself and others? Have I forgotten how precious I truly am? Before taking a pill, please consider: Meditation, hydration, nutrition, supplements, deep breathing, counseling.

I am not against taking pills… I am for doing everything possible to identify the terrorists that we are allowing in our bodies.

It is time to stop treating “things” better than our own bodies… It is time to love our bodies the way they deserve.

I have been ignoring the symptoms from my body. I recognize that I am doing too much and need to take inventory. It is time to go down my “to do” list, eliminate and prioritize. Then I need to add to the top of the list my own well being. Thank you, body, I am now listening to my SYMPTOMS.

What is your body telling you? Will you listen?

You can take a pill or you can take responsibility.

Subscribe & Listen worldwide to The Lillian McDermott Radio Show ~ Weekdays at 8 am, noon, 5 pm and Saturdays at 11 am at WhenYouNeedaFriend.com! On demand at iTunes, Google Play Music or iHeartRadio or watch her on YouTube. Please email feedback to Lilly@WhenYouNeedaFriend.com or call/text 407-373-5959.